Lebanon uses Arab summit to call for Syrian refugees' return

Beirut, Jan 20: Lebanon used an Arab economic summit
on Sunday to call for the return of Syrian refugees
to safe areas of their war-torn country, where the
nearly eight-year civil war is still underway despite
a recent series of government victories, reports AP.
President Michel Aoun told the opening session that
Lebanon is overwhelmed by the presence of Syrian and
Palestinian refugees, who make about half the
population of the tiny country, which is struggling
with an economic crisis.
The meeting is the first economic and development
summit to be held since 2013, and comes as Syria,
Yemen and Libya remain gripped by violence and Iraq
confronts a massive reconstruction challenge after
its costly victory over the Islamic State group.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said
nearly half of all refugees "come from our Arab
world."
Qatar's ruler attended the summit, which has been
marred by divisions over readmitting Syria to the
Arab League. But Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
arrived shortly before the summit and left minutes
after it began.
Qatar has been one of the main backers of Syrian
insurgents trying to overthrow President Bashar
Assad.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have reopened
their embassies in Damascus, and the visit by Qatar's
ruler is widely seen as a first step to restoring
relations with Syria.
Sheikh Tamim and the president of Mauritania were the
only heads of state from the 22-member Arab League
who came to Beirut to attend the summit. Other
countries sent lower-level delegations.
The other leaders' absence appeared to be a snub to
Lebanon, where groups led by the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah had insisted that Assad should be invited.
"We regret the absences of some brotherly kings and
presidents who have their justified excuses," Aoun
said without elaborating.
"We call for a safe return of Syrian refugees to
their country, especially to stable areas that can be
reached and areas of low levels of violence," Aoun
said in his opening address. "This should not be
linked to reaching a political solution."
Lebanon is home to some 1 million Syrian refugees, or
a quarter of the country's population.